Abstract: At least we would assume all that is accurate after testing the Scythe Infinity heatsink... The Infinity is a big heatsink for sure; it stands 155mm tall, 125mm wide and about 114mm deep with its 120mm 1200RPM fan. The scale tips at 960 grams, or just short of a kilogram.

The Japanese thermal solutions manufacturer, Scythe, has earned itself a positive reputation
for producing good low noise and thermally efficient heatsinks. For the most part, pointless flash
and excess bling have been omitted, and the company has instead focused its
engineering efforts on reducing noise output and maximizing thermal
efficiencies.

At least we would assume all that is accurate after testing
the Scythe Infinity heatsink... The Infinity is a big heatsink for sure; it
stands 155mm tall, 125mm wide and about 114mm deep with its 120mm 1200RPM
fan. The scale tips at 960 grams, or just short of a kilogram.

Now as you've come to expect with Frostytech,
we'll skip the suspense and just tell you straight up - the Scythe Infinity is
an excellent heatsink. It is currently one of the Top 10 Intel/AMD heatsinks we've
tested in fact. The Infinity runs cool, and it runs fairly quietly too.
Excellent attributes for sure, but because of its large size, compact PC cases
may not be able to accommodate it.

It seems
like a lot of Scythe's heatsinks are making it into the upper class of CPU
coolers. Anyway, Scythe's Infinity
(SCINF-1000) heatsink installs onto any AMD K8 754/939/940/AM2/AM2+ or Intel socket 478/775 processor, and
comes with a single fan although two could be mounted
in a push-pull configuration if desired. The Scythe Infinity retails
for about $45 USD through sites like CrazyPC.com
or Coolerguys.com.

Installing multi-socket compatible heatsinks
can be a tricky thing. Manufacturers sometimes make just one bracket fit every
kind of CPU socket available, and you get left figuring out a box full of
hardware and instructions printed in 15 languages.

With the Infinity
heatsink, Scythe is using a system of clips that make installing this heatsink onto a
variety of Intel or AMD processors straightforward.

There are
three pairs of clips. Each one clicks into the side of the
heatsink without the use of any tools, and is removable by the same means. Standard LGA775
push to connect clips are used for current generation Intel chips, while another set
of brackets accommodates older socket 478 processors. All four generations of AMDs Athlon64
CPU are serviced by one cam lever clip that engages on
the central lug of the AMD heatsink retention frame. There are no rear-support plates to install,
no screws to loose.

I have to say that of a all
the heatsinks FrostyTech has reviewed recently, these clips are the most convenient. The heatsink is
held on firmly and the appropriate amount of clamping pressure is applied to
the CPU below. The heatsink ships with a small pack of thermal compound
and illustrated instructions. It would have been nice if an additional set of
wire clips were provided so two ultra-low RPM 120mm fans could be used, but
that's about the only omission we found.

FrostyTech's Test Methodologies are outlined in detail here
if you care to know what equipment is used, and the parameters under which
the tests are conducted. Now let's move forward and take a closer look at this heatsink, its acoustic
characteristics, and of course its performance in the thermal tests!